Firefox Built-in Password Manager vs. Bitwarden: Which Should You Use?

Firefox now has a built-in password manager, which can be found in about:logins or accessed through the hamburger menu → Passwords. It's capable of saving, filling, and syncing usernames and passwords with Firefox Sync. The feature includes primary password support, breach detection via Have I Been Pwned, password generation, and CSV export. This manager is easily accessible on Firefox for Android. However, it doesn't work in Safari or Chrome.

Bitwarden is a dedicated password manager that offers everything the built-in Firefox manager does, but with additional features like cross-browser compatibility, iOS and Android apps, advanced organization options (collections, folders, tags), secure notes storage, TOTP/2FA code generation (premium feature), and password history. It's open-source, and a community server implementation called Vaultwarden exists for self-hosting.

When deciding between the two, consider your needs. If you only use Firefox on desktop and Firefox for Android, the built-in manager is a good fit. It's easy to use and needs no extra configuration. If you use multiple browsers, are on iOS, need app-level password filling on Android, want 2FA code generation, or want to self-host your passwords, Bitwarden is a better choice.

Bitwarden also allows sharing passwords with family or team members. For those who value data ownership, self-hosting Bitwarden provides an extra layer of control, as the server is open-source and you can run it on your own VPS or home server.

Both password managers are secure. Firefox Sync encrypts passwords using a key derived from your primary password, and Bitwarden uses AES-256 with PBKDF2 or Argon2 key derivation. Neither service can read your passwords. The primary password feature in Firefox adds an extra layer of security. To migrate passwords from Firefox to Bitwarden, export logins from about:logins as a CSV file and import it into Bitwarden.

The reverse process involves importing the CSV file from Bitwarden into Firefox's about:logins. For most Firefox users, the built-in manager is sufficient, while those who need cross-browser support or team sharing should consider Bitwarden.